Saturday, April 30, 2011

Just got the art in from John and Daisey Bingham. Looking sharp! Now I need to generate all the pre-gen character sheets handouts and it will be complete. Once that's done, all the tourny GMs will get their early PDF copies. Sign up for the tourney begins tomorrow - we have 30 open slots in 3 games.

Returning from a successful trading voyage to far-away lands, the party’s ship is stranded in the doldrums. After two days without any wind, the sky darkens and small particles of black ash fall like a dark snow. The party’s two native guide-translators panic and begin wildly yelling, quickly whipping themselves into a fury of fear. Faster than the group can react, the two guides pull their small knives and stab themselves in the chest repeatedly as they jump over the side of the ship. Their dark-skinned bodies unnaturally sink down into the depths below the glass-like surface of the still sea as, one-by-one, each party member feels an irresistible sleep suddenly come upon him.

When the party awakes, it finds itself in what appears to be a giant coliseum, their seaworthy boat stranded upon the obsidian sands that line the floor of the great arena. On the floor sands stands a gigantic marble statue of a lightly armored warrior apparently caught off-guard as he bends to retrieve his massive shield and spear. The statue surely stands at least 300 feet tall! Perhaps a mile away stands another gigantic marble statue; this one of a lion just released from the chain holding it at bay.

The marble walls surrounding the coliseum floor are easily 1,000 feet tall, and beyond them in the stands are thousands more statues, each as large as that of the warrior. They sit silently watching the tableau, as if at any moment all could come alive in a great roar. The sky above is a deep crystal blue and completely cloudless.

I've finished all but one section of the The Mouth of the Shadowvein. That last section however is the largest in the module and it's going to take me a while. I've had a lot of fun creating this module and I think it'll be fun to explore.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Description & Information: A race of intelligent plants, moonflowers are not uncommon below the shattered moon, but they are a secretive race and are often quite hard to find when they wish to be unseen. An adult moonflower is bipedal with two arm-like vine stalks. They typically stand a slender 7 feet tall and instead of having a head, have a single large and sharply-angled flower. They speak through muscular motion and typically know the languages of the nearby peoples.

Possessing intelligence quite alien to the common mutie, moonflowers live in small familial units, spending most of their time hidden during the day and soaking in the moonlight during the evenings. They’ve been known to gather in large groups (over 100) and let loose an almost ethereal humming chorus coupled with the release of massive amounts of scent.

The pacifying pollen of moonflowers is addictive to some muties, leading some bands of moonflowers to have followers who believe them to be gurus. These flower children are harmless unless a moonflower is threatened, at which time they become feral in their aggression.

Limited Use Powers
• Entrancing Pollen (1 per day): All creatures within 10 feet of the moonflower must succeed on a rank 8 Fortitude conflict or become entranced by the moonflower. For the next hour, entranced creatures obey any reasonable suggestion and belief the moonflower a friend. Every further hour allows another conflict roll, with success indicating the pollen has worn off. This is a poison.
• Hallucinating Pollen (1 per day): All creatures within 30 feet of the moonflower must succeed on a rank 8 Fortitude conflict or experience terrible hallucinations. For the next 10 minutes, hallucinating creatures flee at top speed away from the moonflower. This is a poison.
• Pacifying Pollen (1 per day): All creatures within 60 feet of the moonflower must succeed on a rank 8 Fortitude conflict or experience a wonderful sense of calm. For the next half hour, pacified creatures are unable to attack and can only defend at half normal ability (Combat decreased by half). Every additional half hour allows another conflict roll, with success indicating the pollen has worn off. This is a poison.

Written in elven, Viticulture is an ancient work, believed to have been written over 1,000 years ago. There have been many different translations of the work into other languages, but the original elven version is the only one a serious grape grower possesses. The work discusses everything related to viticulture: soil composition, growth from seed, transplanting, grafting, trellising, insects, molds and fungi, pruning, harvesting, and all aspects of the actual winemaking process.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

XRP is moving to Columbus, Ohio and we've put some of our products on sale to lighten the load. And what a sale it is! All 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons material (excluding Freeport) is only $1, and even Freeport is only $5. Additionally, all our OGL 1 on 1 Adventures are only a $1, our Monster Geographica products are only $1 and two Magical Society books (Ecology & Culture and Beast Builder) up for sale for $2. Finally, all our True20 products are $1 as well. So help us not have to move these books to our new city.

I think my two weakest ideas are on dispana and godeep. I think godeep is just a clever little statement about being deep in the earth coupled with a crossbow symbol as a humorous football reference. Dispana I believe to be the one that breaks the general rule of house name creation.

A study of the skin decorations common among the Soudan islanders, this work relentlessly categorizes every one of the over 1,000 different tattoos found throughout the small island chain. Each tattoo is illustrated and explained, demonstrating how skin art broadcasts the legends and folklore of the islanders as well as how islanders demonstrate social standing through their association with ancient and traditional figures.

An introduction to general symbolism, Reill’s work is commonly found in libraries with any interest in the subject. More a dictionary than a comprehensive text, each individual subject (for example: darkness) is discussed in relation to its symbolic meaning. An old work, it is nevertheless a good starting point

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Spell Chest: This heavy wooden and copper box is about 3 ft. in height, 3 ft. in depth, and 4 ft. in length. It usually comes with a padlock and key. The chest stores any spell cast upon it until it is next opened, at which time the spell triggers. These chests are favorites of all spell users desirous to protect their riches. Experience Point Value: 2,500 G. P. Value: 10,000.

This work of fiction follows the adventures of the halfling Luck Bawson as he helps out a beautiful halfling ranch owner named Pancy Nreston who’s being menaced by unscrupulous thugs. The story takes place on the plains of Okwyaska. Luck Bawson and Pancy find adventure as love as they battle the forces of Hat Baines, nefarious cattle-rustler. The Danger of Diminutive Dorf is of poor quality, the story is unique in that it features only halfings; haflings engaged in activities more commonly associated with humankind.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

On a high holy day, pour the ink into a crystal container, but do so by pouring onto the small mirror and then into the container. Perform the same process with the holy water. Holding the crystal container in one hand and the mirror in the other, travel at least 1 mile and give the mirror to someone of terribly meager means. After gifting the mirror, seal the container and place in the sunlight for one complete day. Makes enough ink for 2 scrolls. Any special quill is suitable.

A very rare work, The Written Word by Knoop Bairman is an extensive study of the history of penmanship throughout the civilized word. Tracing the evolution of the art of the written word for over 800 years, this work is an invaluable resource for anyone desirous of determining just when and where a particular scrap of text was written

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Volume 5 is here, featuring 19 new critters for the world below the shattered moon. We got the aerosquid, blood burr, blacktop snail, death head, fire sprite, fisherpig, fringe shade, gamma moss, granger security robot M6a, granger warbot XR24, moonflower, morlock, oxum, ripper bird, scorpion horror, terror turkey, time weed, vulture dog, and the wishing moss. Many of these have been featured at the blog already, so if you liked them, think about picking up the $3 PDF at Your Games Now or Rpgnow. Below is a pic of the scorpion horror.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Another excerpt from The Vulture Men of Waukegan. This one's particularly creepy, IMO.

Wauconda Lutheran Hospital
Wauconda Lutheran hospital had little to distinguish itself from the thousands of other hospitals throughout North America. It was a small hospital serving the local populace with emergency and planned care. What sets it apart now is the remarkable shape it is in compared with the ruins surrounding it. It’s almost as if time has forgotten about the hospital, such is the state of repair.

And that is exactly what’s happened. Wauconda Lutheran exists outside the normal timeline, and although the building can be entered by anyone at anytime, nothing within can be moved or damaged in any way. However, the hospital moves closer to the world below the shattered moon during a few nights every year. While these brief visitations last, the hospital glares with bright lights, and normal humans flow in and out of the building only to disappear a few feet away from the exits. Normal muties can enter the hospital during this period, but it is as if they have become ghosts, unable to draw any attention or interact with objects. No harm can come to them during this period of time confusion.

Sorcerers, on the other hand, are in great danger when visiting Wauconda Lutheran during these periods. Fifteen minutes before the hospital begins to fade away back into its normal state, sorcerers glow with a bright light and begin feeling an extreme sense of fear and nervousness. After 5 minutes in this state, the glow is so bright that all spirits within 5 miles are drawn to the light, arriving 5 minutes later. If this happens, havoc is let loose, for the hospital is jerked out of time and immediately returns to its normal state, but all the drawn spirits are now made flesh.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Here's an excerpt form the forthcoming Vulture Men of Waukegan. It should serve pretty much any post-apoc system, however.

Atria Medical Center
Once a large and well-respected hospital/research facility, the Atria has been reduced to a large pile of rubble, covered with weeds, grasses, and a few small trees. A close search, however, reveals that one of the large collapsed buildings is sheltering a smaller separate internal area from the elements. This area is composed of military-grade reinforced concrete with duraplast doors. This sealed area was a secret biological research center hidden within a normal everyday hospital. Just before the cataclysm, the research center was sealed during an emergency in which several military-grade biological weapons were released. All but one strain of weapon has since died in the long wait, but the remaining one is the most virulent of them all. Called Omega Prime by the researchers, it’s designed to alter the very genetic structure of its targets. Exposure to the weapon results in mutation.

Any mutie PCs near the area when the building is opened (which will require quite creative means) roll for one more mutation. However, there is 25% chance that the mutation is a genetic defect, instead of a benefit. If a defect is indicated, have the player roll on the below table for his hapless PC.

Defects
1. Toxic Weakness: Randomly determine the type of toxin to which the PC is susceptible. The PC takes an extra 2 points of damage when exposed to that toxin and makes resistance rolls against it at -2.

2. Energy Weakness: Randomly determine the type of energy to which the PC is susceptible. The PC takes an extra 2 points of damage when exposed to that energy at damaging levels.

3. Sensory Diminishment: The PC looses sensitivity in all of his senses and suffers a -2 to all sense checks.

4. Body Odor: The PC gains a foul body odor, making him easy to scent track (+6 to succeed) by creatures capable of such tracking.

5. Narcolepsy: The PC falls asleep (25% twice per day, 75% once per day) without notice. The sleep lasts for 5 minutes. At the beginning of the day, the GM should randomly determine what hour such sleeps occur. They can occur while the PC is actually sleeping.

6. Water Imbalance: The PC requires twice as much water as normal. He pees a lot.

Worse than the chance of acquiring a defect is the danger that non-muties face when confronted by Omega Prime. If a PC does not have mutations, he has a 10% chance of mutating into a something far, far worse. Roll on the below table if a horrible mutation is indicated.

1 The PC transforms into a colossal horror. The transformation takes two horrific and painful weeks during which the PC is unconscious and incapacitated. After the third day, the PC starts putting on 100+ pounds of additional weight per day.
2-20 The PC transforms into a rotten hole. The transformation takes two horrific and painful days. After the first day, the PC begins exhibiting the trait of a rotten hole and crawls away to find a suitable nest.
21-60 The PC transforms into a groue horror. The transformation takes two horrific and painful hours. After the first hour, the PC looses consciousness.
61-90 The PC transforms into an ocular horror. The transformation takes a single horrific and painful hour. After the first hour, the PCs head separates from his body and one of his eyes begins to rapidly grow.
91-100 The PC transforms into a baleful monstrosity. The transformation takes a horrific and painful week.

Any of these mutations obviously takes the PC out of the game unless some Ultra threshold technology relating to genetics and genetic healing is available during the transformation period. Ironically enough, those that turn into the most horrible creatures have the greatest chance for a state reversal given the longer “gestation” periods.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

(crossposted from the OSRG blog) So Shawn over at Rather Gamey came up with what I think is the best OSR logo: his Old School Rocks image at the end of this post. I contacted Shawn asking for his permission to use the logo for T shirts and for images at the OSRG booth (#1541) at Gen Con 20ll. He graciously allowed us to use his logo. Thanks Shawn! I think the logo is so great in that it resolves the "What does the "R" in OSR mean?" question perfectly: it doesn't matter what it means 'cause they all ROCK!!! :)

So I've set up an OSRG Cafe Press site selling T shirts at a $5 markup from cost to help fund acquiring the 4 rotating display cases we're going to have at the booth this year since we were lucky enough to be awarded a Gen Con marketing fellowship increasing our booth size from 10x10 to 20x10. Suzi and I will be there sporting the shirts in the booth, but we won't have any to sell on site. So if you'd be so kind to pick up a T shirt and show your support of the OSRG, we'd greatly appreciate it.

Written by the last abbot of the Keepers of Solitude, the history details the preceding 16 abbots as well as the history of the founding of the magical prison of Solitude. Deep within the Garvian Mountains, the monks labored for generations protecting the prison, but they eventually failed to a concerted hill giant attack. The history ends right after the accounts of the attack and shows a deeply callous attitude concerning the monks trapped below the surface of the abbey. Although of extreme rarity, the book is of little value to all but the most ardent specialist.

Description & Information: These gigantic snails often reach 12 feet in height and weigh several tons. Their brown and gray shells are several inches thick and damn near impenetrable by anything other than heavy guns or armor piercing rounds. Blacktop snails are omnivorous, but survive mostly on plant matter. Blacktop snails gain their name from the thick, black slime they excrete. This black slime hardens in a few hours, turning into a resilient asphalt-like substance. In this way, blacktop snails are biological road builders and some communities keep a single snail for just such purposes. Their “roads” are about six feet wide and an inch thick.

Blacktop snails are not very aggressive when encountered in the wild and pose little threat to a mobile target. When injured, they usually retreat into their shell and wait until the danger passes. They are most active during the night and it is in this way that travelers occasionally end up on the blackstop snail menu. They are surprisingly quiet for their size.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Description & Information: Sometime in the recent past mutagens created a new type of predator: the flying squid, a 3-foot-long rapacious predator. These nocturnal creatures hunt in large migratory shoals of up to 100 individuals. They hunt small mammals and reptiles, but occasionally cooperate to take down larger prey. They are nocturnal hunters, lairing up in caves, ruins or among tree branches during the day. They avoid direct sunlight, as their sensitive eyes are designed for excellent night vision. Aerosquid nests are typically found deep within dark areas.

Limited Use Powers
• Radioactive Ink Spray (2 per day): Twice per day, an aerosquid can squirt radioactive ink to a range of 15 feet. It hit, a creature must succeed on a rank 4 Fortitude conflict or become radiated. This is a toxic attack

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Below's the cover for Advanced Adventures #20: The Riddle of Anadi. Another fine module by James Boney, Anadi will prove a challenge even to experienced players. At on point when I was first reading over the module, I literally laughed out loud at the fiendishness of one part of the adventure! The art is done by John Bingham and Daisey Bingham. John does the inks and Daisy does the colors.

During morning’s dark on the longest day of the year, mix the lion’s blood and the powdered lapis lazuli in a golden vessel upon the holy alter and decant to a crystal container. Place the container in the sunlight and remove just before sundown. Decant to a silver vessel and mix in squid sepia and holy water. Return to crystal container and bury in consecrated soil for a fortnight. Makes enough ink for 2 scrolls. Any special quill is suitable.

Resist Cold
For the ink required to scribe a clerical resist cold scroll

At midnight during the shortest day of the year mix all components into a cast iron pot and bring to boil over a pine wood fire. Reduce until a single oz. remains. Let cool and decant into a crystal container. Makes enough ink for 2 scrolls. Any special quill is suitable.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Description & Information: This moss is only found around radiated areas. Its unique yellow and magenta color makes it easy to identify for a knowledgeable observer. Gamma moss slowly consumes radiation from the environment, and if given enough time, can cleanse a previously polluted area. Gamma moss is quite poisonous if eaten and many plots below the shattered moon center around poisoning a hated enemy with gamma moss extract placed within his food. Some creatures seem immune to this poison however, most notably the morlock.

Our OSRIC tourney's been approved and assigned a location by Gen Con. This year we have 3 tables, so up to 30 players. I put all the pertinent facts up at the OSRG blog to keep all the Old-School gaming at a centralized location.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Below is the cover for what I’ve been working on recently. I’ve got about 7k words done and am expecting around 18-20k. It’ll be out for Gen Con and available at the OSRG booth as a 20 page supplement to Sorcery & Super Science. I’m really enjoying writing it and like the gazzateer style that I’m using - just detailed enough to be useful and just open enough to act as a springboard for GM-specific campaign modification.

Description & Information: A minor warbot, but one very common in the wars at the end of the 21st century, the XR24 is roughly twice the proportions of a normal human male. It has full manipulative ability, possessing hands like a human. The XR24 is designed for infantry-replacement services. As such, it lacks the real heavy weaponry of the true warbots, but it is still far from a pushover when it comes to firepower and is armored strongly enough to ignore light arms.

XR24s have two .50 caliber machine guns, one mounted on the shoulder/upper arm area on each side of the chassis. On the back of the robot is an armored ammo storage area that looks like a large backpack containing 2,750 specially-designed armor piercing rounds. Unlike normal .50 caliber ammo, the XR24 .50 caliber ammo ignores 25 points of armor instead of the normal 20. The XR24 can use normal .50 caliber ammo as well as its special ammo.

Besides the ammo supply, the armored backpack also contains the solar cell array of the warbot. It is normally retracted when facing potential enemies. The XR24 additionally features one of the first bio-mass cell power sources ever produced. Its rather voracious appetite earned it the nickname “Granger Locust” from the mobile infantry units it first supported.

Intrinsic Powers
• XR24s have incredibly good senses and possess a +4 to sense conflicts. In addition, they have a +1 to extraordinary sense conflicts. They can see twice as well as a human in the day and 10x better at night, effectively possessing full night-vision.
• Regenerate 10 additional Health per day. They also regenerate from any permanent injuries in a week’s time. Both require access to suitable food : grasses or wood.
• Reduce all damage (except ego) by 30 points per hit.
• Powerful hand-to-hand combatants, their punches deal +12 bludgeoning damage per hit and +4/ rank 8 combat condition.
• The XR24 can make two .50 caliber attacks on two separate targets per turn, dealing +16 to damage, +4/ rank 10 piercing in single-shot mode. At normal firing speed of 30 rounds per turn an XR24 deals +28 to damage and a +4/ rank 12 piercing combat condition. At burst speed (100 rounds per turn) it deals +40 to damage and a +4/ rank 16 piercing combat condition. Damage from the XR24’s .50 caliber machine gun ignores the first 25 points of damage resistance or armor of the target, or the first 20 points of damage resistance if normal .50 caliber ammunition is used.

Description & Information: The foremost example of security robots manufactured by Granger Robotics, M6a has an adaptive artificial intelligence and is quite capable of using it. It’s hard to trick or fool and follows security protocols without error. Expensive when built, only locations of significant importance were guarded by M6as. Groups of 5 or 6 M6as were designed to work under a single human supervisor, but were quite capable of performing adequately even without human direction. M6as feature “human-like” anatomy and are intimidating in appearance without being scary like a warbot. They are typically programmed with a basso voice. M6a robots are masters at non-leathal incapacitation, during which they take DNA samples which they process for evidential purposes.

Intrinsic Powers
• M6as have terrifyingly good senses and possess a +30 to sense conflicts and can make extraordinary sense conflicts.
• Can self-repair at a rate of 5 point of Health damage per day.
• Reduce all damage by 6 points per hit.
• M6as deal +8 bludgeoning damage and +8/ rank 8 combat condition. However, they more typically rely upon their incapacitation power listed below unless such is unavailable.

Limited Use Powers
Incapacitation Attack (20 per day): M6as use an electromagnetic pulse gun with a range of 200 yards to incapacitate their targets. Any creature hit by the pulse must succeed on a rank 20 Fortitude conflict or be knocked out.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Just want to say thanks to everyone who purchased something during our 8th Anniversary sale! It was a rousing success and it's always nice to have underestimated a sale's response. I hope all of you enjoy your purchases and that they see table-use at your games.